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Thinking about how to homeschool as a new homeschool parent can be overwhelming at first. You have a lot to consider—from the curriculum to state requirements. But the time invested at the beginning will be well worth it. In the end, you’ll have more time to spend with your kids and a more flexible schedule and learning experience. If you’re new to homeschooling and wondering where to start or are not sure what you need to homeschool your child, we’re here to offer homeschool help. After years helping families get started homeschooling, we’ve gathered a list of steps to follow as you begin the homeschool journey, as well as many of the questions new homeschoolers must consider.

Because the money flows through the government, the government then gets to decide how it is spent. And bureaucrats simply can’t be trusted to do what parents want. //

There is no such thing as federal dollars that come with no strings attached. //

Government policies to fund education open the door to other regulations: lists of curricula that families have to use, mandatory homeschool registration, and even mandatory home inspections. There have been attempts to implement all of these at the state level. The pressure would be intensified if the federal government started regulating home education as well. //

Because parents know and love their children better than any government bureaucrat
can, society thrives when parents are empowered to make the best choices for their
children. And that’s why homeschooling works: free from overregulation, families are
able to direct their children’s education in a way that best suits the child’s individual
needs, rather than follow a one-size-fits-all model.

Policies that allow maximum freedom for home education are policies that help create successful, flourishing kids and families. The better approach does not take money from families that are already homeschooling. Tax credits, true savings accounts like 529s, and making homeschool parents eligible for the teacher tax deduction are all ways legislators can help ease the financial cost of school choice without increasing government regulation. //

The very reason so many families are leaving the public schools is that they want less government regulation, more parental choice, and more ability to do what is best for their children and families. Keep homeschooling free from federal funding and intervention and let families thrive.

Those supporting the idea that parents should be the primary decision-makers in how their children should be educated seem to have valid cause for concern. There are people – mostly on the left – who seek to limit, or even abolish, parents’ ability to homeschool their children. In 2020, Harvard Magazine published an interview with Elizabeth Bartholet, Wasserstein public interest professor of law and faculty director of the Law School’s Child Advocacy Program, who seeks to ban the practice, arguing that it violates children’s right to a “meaningful education.”

She complained that homeschooling is “an essentially unregulated regime in the area of homeschooling” and that “if you look at the legal regime governing homeschooling, there are very few requirements that parents do anything.”

Bartholet also told the magazine that since only a dozen states have rules regarding the level of education required for homeschooling parents, “people can homeschool who’ve never gone to school themselves, who don’t read or write themselves.”

The professor also argued that public schools are more desirable because teachers are “mandated reporters,” meaning they are required by law to contact the authorities if they see evidence of child abuse. “Teachers and other school personnel constitute the largest percentage of people who report to Child Protective Services,” she said.

But is this a valid reason to prohibit parents from deciding how their children should be educated? For starters, despite teachers being mandated reporters, there are still a disturbing number of children being mistreated, even in schools. However, studies have shown that children who are homeschooled fare much better than those attending public schools. The National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI) noted that homeschooled children “typically score 15 to 30 percentile points above public-school students on standardized academic achievement tests,” and that “78% of peer-reviewed studies on academic achievement show homeschool students perform statistically significantly better than those in institutional schools.” //

The Maryland proposal might be based on good intentions. But one of the main reasons why parents choose homeschooling is precisely because they do not have confidence that the government is the most effective way to educate their children. The establishment of an advisory council opens the door to more government involvement, which, given its track record, would have a disastrous impact on education.

Get started with Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals for homeschools

This article is for homeschools in the U.S. If you aren’t a homeschool, go to Qualifications for Google Workspace for Education.

Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals provides free business features to K–12 and higher education institutions and homeschool co-ops.

More tools, more time: A new productivity option for homeschoolers

Homeschool state organizations and co-ops: you asked, and we listened.

Previously, Google's "G Suite for Education"—a collection of productivity and collaboration tools geared towards educational organizations—was only available to accredited schools.

But a number of homeschool co-ops wanted to offer this to their families, and reached out to us for help. So HSLDA worked with Google to open up its G Suite for Education to homeschool organizations. Your co-op can now take advantage of the wealth of productivity tools offered in the Suite. . . . it's voluntary, and best of all, it's FREE!

Here's what you need to know.

If you are a state or regional homeschool organization that wants to participate, please contact HSLDA to set up an account. You can email us at GroupServices@hslda.org or call us at 540-338-5600.

If you are a local homeschool co-op that wants access to Google's G Suite for Education, please check the list below to find your state or regional homeschool organization. You will receive a verification code, which you can use to set up an account on G Suite's website. Your co-op must have a website to use G Suite.

The architect of The New York Times’ anti-American “1619 Project,” Nikole Hannah-Jones, admitted in a weekend interview that left-wing educators have no intention of inviting parents into the classroom when it comes to their children’s curricula.

“I don’t really understand this idea that parents should decide what’s being taught,” Jones said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday. “I’m not a professional educator, I don’t have a degree in social studies.”

Jones, the same writer whose signature project is riddled with so many “errors and distortions” that the National Association of Scholars demanded that the Pulitzer board revoke her award, has watched her project be incorporated into at least 4,500 classrooms nationwide.

In the same interview on Sunday, Jones touted her project as a “great learning tool for students.” //

Another reason the left conceals its desire to manipulate school curriculums without parental input is the homeschooling revolution it’s produced.

Census data shows more than 11 percent of U.S. households are now homeschooling, with 2.6 million kids making the switch since the pandemic began, according to an analysis from the Bellwether Education Partners.

Meghan McCain @MeghanMcCain
The 2021 census saw a phenomenal growth in homeschooling. Up 5 million from 3.2 million.

If democrats want to be the party of parents don’t and shouldn’t get to have any say or control over what their children are being taught in school, your party is going the way of the whigs.

Steve Guest @SteveGuest
Nikole Hannah-Jones: Parents shouldn't be in charge of their kids' schooling: "I don't really understand this idea that parents should decide what's being taught. I'm not a professional educator. I don't have a degree in social studies." Yet she wants the 1619 Project in schools.
Embedded video
6:49 AM · Dec 27, 2021

Below are the titles of the Moody Science Classics.

For decades, the education establishment has used the need for socialization to argue that kids are better off in government-run schools than being taught at home. //

The long-standing myth that homeschooled children grow up to be socially awkward is easily debunked because it proceeds from the false (indeed, patently absurd) premise that, prior to the advent of mass public schooling in the mid-nineteenth century, children did not learn to get along with either their peers or other social groups. This myth persists despite multiple studies that reveal that a majority of homeschooled children are just as well-socialized (or even better socialized) than their public school peers. The socialization process is somewhat different for homeschooling parents, but these differences (largely in parental supervision and diversity of age range in social groups) are key benefits of homeschooling, not flaws.

For decades, members of the educational establishment have used the need for socialization to argue that kids are better off in government-run schools than being taught at home. Recent developments in American education during the Age of COVID, however, reveal that this argument is not just fundamentally flawed, but officially dead.

The classes offered by East Noble Online are designed/evaluated by East Noble's highly qualified licensed teachers. Classroom materials are delivered to students via the Internet. This classroom experience is open to homeschooled students in and out of district who are searching for support with schooling. The school offers support and school credit for one particular subject or multiple subjects. Homeschool students who are not currently enrolled with East Noble High School should contact Amy DeWitt (adewitt@eastnoble.net) in regards to registration and availability of online courses.

All students enrolled in online education are required to do mandatory state testing which currently occurs twice a year, once in early spring for open ended questions and then later in the spring for multiple choice. Any questions about testing requirements should be emailed to adewitt@eastnoble.net

For almost 10 years, Hoosiers have been able to deduct up to $1,000 on their Indiana tax return for each child who attends a private or parochial school in Indiana or who is homeschooled. With so many students switching to virtual learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic, you can’t blame parents for wondering if they can take Indiana’s Private School/Homeschool Deduction.

Under current law, you cannot deduct education expenses for which you were repaid, if your child was enrolled in a public or charter school, regardless of where learning took place. You can, however, claim the deduction if your child was enrolled in a private school, including a parochial school, if the school is physically located in Indiana. Expenses associated with distance learning for schools located outside of Indiana do not qualify.

JULY 29, 2021 By Robert Busek
Rather than trying to reform an educational system that has betrayed us, we should starve it of access to its favorite fodder: our children.

The only winning move is not to play. //

We have experienced the shift in thinking in a personal way. After years of unabashedly voicing their concerns about our kids’ homeschool education, our extended family has been curiously (and blessedly) silent ever since COVID-19 started wreaking havoc on our educational infrastructure. For once, we are ahead of the curve, and it is thrilling. //

A funny thing happened when students began remote learning during lockdown: parents started paying attention to what their kids were being taught. Many were not pleased with what they discovered. They felt betrayed by the system to which they had entrusted their kids and their money. Quite a few are fighting back, much to the chagrin of teachers’ unions, administrators and their political allies.

Since public schools are spectacularly successful leftist recruitment centers, weakening public attachment to them through lockdowns was a dangerous move for Democrats. //

Between May and October 2020, homeschooling more than doubled among U.S. households with school-age children, from 5.4 percent that spring to 11.1 percent that fall, according to new Census Bureau data.

The State of Arkansas law no longer requires home school students to take a nationally recognized norm-referenced achievement test.

Home school students may be tested to determine academic eligibility, if voluntarily participating in extracurricular activities at a local public school under Arkansas’ “Tim Tebow Law.” Students may also be tested to determine grade-level if enrolling or re-enrolling in a public school.

Some home school families may wish to have their students voluntarily take a norm-referenced or other nationally-recognized test for various reasons. If you would like assistance picking a test or finding a test facilitator, please contact our office at (501) 978-5503.

re you homeschooling your child(ren) in Arkansas? Here are helpful links to sites addressing matters concerning Arkansas homeschool law as well as other important information pertaining to homeschooling in this state.

Arkansas Law -- from the Home School Legal Defense Association

Letter of Intent and Waiver form -- Arkansas homeschoolers are required by the state to submit a "Letter of Intent" and a "Waiver" form to the their local school districts. You may pick up these forms at your local school district's administration office or use this link. You will find the link on this page for the current year's LOI.

Arkansas Education Alliance -- AEA is a statewide home school support organization dedicated to helping anyone interested in home schooling.

About 2.5 million kids are homeschooled in the US, but what if 8 million more start homeschooling this fall? There is cause to believe this could happen.

When you enroll at AOA, your student receives an individualized learning plan based on his goals, his current academic standing, and his style of learning. A personalized academic support team of teachers, advisors, and counselors is then selected to ensure your student has a strong foundation for achievement. Pinpointing your student’s current academic situation, we create a lesson plan structure with the help of placement tests that center on what your student really needs to learn to graduate.

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